“I would like to draw our attention to the statement made by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs yesterday. I welcome that statement, and the logic of the steps presented there is, generally, acceptable to us. The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs called for urgent steps to reduce border tensions. It was suggested that the parties withdraw their troops. And in this context, the announcement of urgent steps was made.
And the continuation is important - with the support of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to clarify the border points - demarcation, delimitation. I want to assure you that the Armenian Government is determined to go that way, we are ready to start the withdrawal process at any moment. We expect the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to reach an agreement with Azerbaijan to start withdrawing troops at the simultaneously. In particular, we are talking about the Sotk-Khoznavar section. We are ready to start clarifying the border points from that area under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. And of course, we are ready to fully resume the negotiation process within the framework of the Co-Chairs to resolve the Karabakh issue,” Armenia’s Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.
The Acting Prime Minister reminded that the statement also referred to the issue of prisoners, saying that the prisoners should be returned. Pashinyan also referred to the statements of the Ministry of Defense about carrying out a corresponding operation to protect our border in case the troops do not withdraw in a reasonable time.
“Since the Co-Chairs have offered to renounce the use of force or the threat of force in the context of resolving this issue, and as this approach is in line with our views, I want to say that we fully accept the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs' proposals, which are mentioned in a statement issued yesterday,” Pashinyan added.
